Zoids: Ace of Spades
by Adelaide2
Summary: Take one Class A team trying to get to Class S. Now throw in the Backdraft, the Blitz Team, a whole ton of battles, and a serious sibling rivalry. Mild Language. 9th Chapter Up! Please review!
1. Chapter 1

I have divided my story into parts because… no reason really. In a way it made my story seem a lot shorter and not so much of a challenge. There are 4 sections each consisting of separate chapters. This is my first attempt at a fanfic so… yeah… By the way, this is an AU fanfic to the Zoids: Slash Zero series but I'm planning on including subtle appearances of characters from the show. If someone has a problem with that, please tell me. Okay: I do not own any of the Zoids mecha/ characters. Also, any and all reviews are welcomed (except flames) so please submit your opinion. I really appreciate you reading my story so please enjoy.

Part 1

Chapter 1: Ace Team

            It was a considerably cool morning in the middle of the Unnamed Dessert. The wind was blowing and kicking up sand, but six people in the middle of the serene setting did not have time to sit back and enjoy the scenery.

            "Get out of the way! You're in my line of fire! I'm so close to knocking out their D-Bison!" Instantly the image of a young man with shaggy brown hair and dull gray eyes appeared on the screen of the Iron Kong's cockpit. The pilot of the zoid sighed inaudibly and shifted his weight so he leaned lightly on the controls. The Iron Kong plodded slowly to the right, obstructing the other pilot's view even more.

            "Ryan! For crying out loud!"

            "What? You said move. Sheesh, Lyle, make up your mind."

            "I said 'Get out of my way'!"

            "Oh, that is what you said." The Iron Kong proceeded to move to the right, much slower that it normally would in a battle, until it was out of the Gunsniper's range. 'Finally,' Lyle thought, adjusting his aim slightly and preparing to pull the trigger. But just as he was going to pin the trigger down a bleeping sound from the cockpit caught his attention. Someone was trying to contact him. Regrettably he allowed his seat to flip over and adjust to its normal position. He pushed a small, green button to his right and waited for the communications link to connect.

            "Ryan! Gah! What're you contacting me by video for?!" The other pilot shrugged and closed the channel. "Why you-" 

            "Guys, pay attention." A Lightning Saix, fresh from immobilizing a Saber Fang, jumped between the two, momentarily stalling their argument. 

            On the other side of the battlefield, the pilot of the D-Bison waited patiently for his computer to lock onto his targets and for the words "burn out" to appear on his screen. With a cocky smirk he pressed the little red button by his side. Seventeen separate cannons launched an assault on the opposing team. The Gunsniper and Lightning Saix dodged separate ways, leaving the much slower Iron Kong to face the onslaught alone.

            "Gaaah!" Irritable, the pilot silently sulked as the words "Command system freeze" told him of his Zoid's condition, though the rumbling and shaking of its fall told him long before he saw those words. 

            "Ryan's out. Lyle, you take the remaining Saber Fang. I'll knock out their D-Bison."

            "Yeah, yeah." He grinned lightly and prodded the controls of the zoid lightly, taking off in the direction of the Saber Fang that had, up until now, been absent from any important happenings in the battle. With a couple of shots fired he had dispatched his opponent easily, and now it was lying on the ground immobilized. The Lightning Saix, though considerably faster than the Gunsniper, proceeded to approach its target cautiously, perfectly aware of its tremendous fire power. As soon as it was close enough, the black zoid darted behind the D-Bison and fired a mere two shots into its back. That was all it took. Battle won.

            "The battle is over! The battle is over!" The judge announced. "The winner is… The Ace Team!" The Lightning Saix and Gunsniper came to a halt after converging near the downed Iron Kong. Ryan, who had remained in his cockpit until now, was walking over to meet them. Lyle was the first to jump down from his own zoid. The Lightning Saix's canopy had yet to open.

            "Hey Rayne! Are you coming out or not?" The canopy then opened as a girl with shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes stood and looked down at them, and by the expression on her features she wasn't pleased. Her zoid had taken some damage from the barrage from the D-Bison, and she wouldn't have been anywhere near the impact site had it not been for her partners' stupid argument.

            "What were you all doing out there?! You nearly cost us the battle with your ignorant bickering!"

            "Hey, don't look at me! It was his fault for being in my line of fire!" Lyle pointed straight to Ryan, who pointed right back.

            "Had he taken the shot when he needed to-"

            "Don't try to blame this one me! You're the one who-"

            "Enough!" She sighed loudly and sat back down. "Let's just get our zoids back to base and then head out to dinner, my treat as long as you all don't fight when we get there." The other two shrugged and then went to their respective zoids, Ryan doing a minor tweaking to his controls to get his zoid to stand again. 

            About an hour later, the Ace Team was sitting in the After Battle Eatery, ordering a large victory dinner.

            "You know, we're always broke because as soon as we win some prize money we go and blow it on a large dinner…" Lyle sighed and leaned back against the seat. Ryan shrugged.

            "True, but this place has some great food. Best place to blow your cash." Rayne smiled lightly in agreement. The door opened noisily and a man and two women entered the restaurant. Rayne clenched her fists.

            "Look what the cat dragged in…" she muttered. Slowly the three made their way over to the Ace Team's table. Rayne struggled to keep her anger in check, although she knew everyone would appreciate it if she decked the leader one. He leaned on the table and glanced over at her, and then to the other two occupants of the table.

            "Hm, hate to break it to you all but this is our table. You'll have to get up."

            "Sai, go bug the crap out of someone else. No matter where we sit, it's always your table. In case you haven't noticed, this place isn't full yet, though it will be by noon. Go ahead and sit somewhere else." 

            "No, I think I like it here better." Rayne sighed and then shook her head, glaring up at the man she refused to call her brother. 

            "Why are you such a bastard?" She was calm, a little too calm. It irritated Sai more when she kept her anger in check than when she fought back. 'Why did she have to be my sister?' He glared right back and then stood.

            "You know, I could always challenge you to a zoids battle, and kick your butts miserably, but I suppose it's best to treat your siblings with kindness." He knew how to rub their relation in. It was like rubbing salt on a cut. As if being harassed by him everyday wasn't enough, she was being harassed by her own self-centered brother. What a life to live. "Oh, wait… You still think you're better than me. Just because you hold the lame title of "Ace of Spades" for winning that piece of shit tournament where as I'm only the "Ace of Hearts." The Ace tournament was held every five years and the winners received the title of "Ace". The first place winner was crowned Ace of Spades, the second place title was Ace of Clubs, the third place one was Ace of Diamonds, and the fifth place winner was called the Ace of Hearts. 

            The Ace Team consisted of the Ace of Spades, Rayne, the Ace of Clubs, Lyle, and the Ace of Diamonds, Ryan, hence the name Ace Team. Ryan, though a mercenary for hire, made certain that he was available when the Ace Team was willing to pay. He valued being around pilots as good as himself. That's why he was always nearby, never staying with any other team for more than two or three battles. The Ace Team was practically invincible even in Class A. Without so much as another word the Ace Team stood, preparing to exit. Just as Rayne reached the door she turned back and shouted to Sai.

            "See you at the next family reunion, Hearts." That nickname wounded him to the heart. 'I knew it! She does think she's better than me! That lousy-' His thoughts were cut off as a man stepped in front of him.

            "I happened to over hear that you are the Ace of Hearts."

            "What's it to you, old man?" 

            "I can help you gain the skill to defeat her," he motioned to the door Rayne had exited through, "and you can dispose of the largest threat to my team's ascent into Class S to face the Blitz Team." Sai mulled it over for a moment, turning to the two women behind him.

            "Kelley, Kristie… What do you all think? This ought to be a Crimson _Team decision." They merely nodded. He turned back to face the man. "We're in. What do we need to do?"_

This was basically the introductory chapter. I had to make up a new tournament to make the title make sense, but it actually worked out pretty well, considering. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review! Thanks a lot!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, time for chapter 2. Again: This is an AU fic with subtle references to characters from Zoids: Slash Zero. I do not own any of the zoids mecha/characters and have created my own setting for this story. Please enjoy. Also, PLEASE REVIEW! Any and all reviews/criticism is accepter. I'd even settle for flames. 

Part 1

Chapter 2 

            The Ace Team headquarters was in the middle of the Unnamed dessert, near one of the few oases. The Gustav rolled recklessly towards it over the high sand dunes. Lyle was at the controls, humming contentedly as he ignored the other's complaints about his driving skills. When they reached the Base, Lyle and Ryan jumped out while Rayne stayed behind for a moment, unloading a few parts from the back of the Gustav. Though the damages to their zoids were minimal, they would still take about a day and a half to fix. Plus, Rayne wanted to get ahead on some upgrading that she'd have to do to her Lightning Saix before long. She walked briskly into the hanger, turning on a few lights as she proceeded to her zoid. The black, cat-like machine stood imposingly over her but she climbed to the cockpit and swapped the settings from battle to upgrade. It would manually do it itself, but Rayne had to be there incase something messed up.  She sighed contentedly and leaned back in her seat, smiling up at the ceiling. It had been a good battle, though her partners' arguments got in the way again. They'd earned a fair share of prize money, though nearly all of it was gone thanks to dinner and parts. 

            A soft knock on the hanger door brought Rayne back to reality. 

            "Coming!" she shouted hastily, looking down to check on the status of her upgrades. They were complete. 'How long was I asleep?' She jumped down from her cockpit and strode over to the hanger door, which she opened with a push of a button. She was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when it finally finished. "May I help you?" 

            A woman stood in the door way, holding some zoids parts in her arms. She nearly dropped one but kicked it with her toe and catching it on the top of a pile. "Miss… You paid for these and left them at the store."

            "I did? I could have sworn I-"

            "You are Rayne Altana, correct. Ace Team?" Rayne nodded and backed up a little to let the woman enter.

            "Can I help you with those?" The woman handed about half of her pile to Rayne as she walked over to her Lightning Saix. 

            "Is this your zoid?" Rayne nodded.

            "Yeah."

            "And those other zoids?"

            "My partners'." 

            "You were in a battle recently. I can see some minor damages. I can touch them up for you, if you want."

            "We really don't have the money-"

            "I wasn't going to charge you. These are really minor, won't take more than a half an hour at most. All three zoids together might take an hour. Also, since we charge by the hour for each zoid it wouldn't cost you a cent at the store."

            "Really? That's a really good deal. Are you sure you don't mind working on them for free?"

            "Not at all. I've always loved zoids. I used to pilot a Storm Sworder before I grew too old. Here, I'll go ahead and get started."

            "Thank you Miss…"

            "Kiyogi. Gin Kiyogi." 

            "Thanks." Rayne walked inside the base and over to where Ryan and Lyle were eating dinner. 

            "It's about time you cam inside. Your food was getting cold."

            "You actually cooked?"

            "If you call sticking TV dinners in the fridge, then yeah, he cooked." Ryan shot Lyle and death glare after being accused of laziness.  Rayne shrugged her shoulders and grabbed her TV dinner off of the table, downing it in a few minutes. It had been a long day and she hadn't eaten much after Sai had come into the Eatery. She thought for a moment about the earlier events. Was it her, or was her brother becoming a bigger jerk than ever? She sighed and stood, tossing her trash into the garbage can on her way out of the kitchen. The two boys were still sitting on the couch eating.

            "Make sure to clean up when you're done, okay?" They nodded, but she doubted they heard her. She returned to the hanger to find the work done. In fact, Gin was nowhere in sight. Rayne plodded over to her zoid and glanced around before climbing into the cockpit. She noticed a small note tied to her controls. Cautiously she read it. 

            "Dear Ms. Altana. It was a pleasure to meet you. I finished the repairs on all of your zoids in about fifteen minutes. I also make a few improvements to your Lightning Saix's controls. It ought to handle better and easier now. If not, please drop by the store and I'll return them to normal. But please note that to ultimately use your new settings to the fullest, you will have to grow accustomed to faster reactions from your zoid. Drop by the store any time. Signed, Ms. Kiyogi." Rayne smiled and jumped down from the cockpit.

            "She's a bit of a weird lady…" But it didn't matter. Rayne walked to the open hanger door and leaned against the frame, smiling.

Yeah, this was another introduction chapter. Also, these first few chapters may be a little shorter than the later ones. Please review. Please! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, finally we get past the introduction chapters and into the story, sort of. This chapter is a bit of an introductory chapter abut it's also a bit more developed. Instead of raw facts you'll get some more detail, and hopefully a well told battle. Please review, thanks.

Section 1

Chapter 3

            The bleeping sound coming from the terminal alerted Rayne to an incoming message. Apprehensively she tapped the button that completed the link-up.

            "Well hello there, Spades." Rayne's shoulders slumped. It'd been a week since she saw him at the Eatery.

            "Hearts… great to see you…" She loved being sarcastic towards him.

            "Same to you. Now, down to business. The Crimson Team wishes to challenge the Ace Team to a battle in 0400 hours. It'll take place exactly thirty miles away from your base in the middle of the Unnamed desert. Got all that? So what's your reply?"

            "Ryan, Lyle!" Sai smirked.

            "Can't make a decision without them?"

            "Shut-up, Hearts." Ryan and Lyle came into the room. They both took one look at the screen  and assumed they knew what was up.

            "I say we battle. More cash for us when we win."

            "Besides… He's only Hearts. What damage can he do to Spades, Clubs, and Diamonds?" 'A lot…' Rayne thought silently.

            "You're on, Hearts. See you then." The link closed. "We need a strategy." Everyone nodded their consent. Time to work. Rayne had already told them about the mysterious woman from the other night. All that was left was to come up with a winning strategy. They worked for hours completing their plan and eventually they had it figured out.

            "Alright, so Saix and I will worry about Sai's Terrace. Ryan and his Iron Kong will take out a Rev Raptor and then come to assist me. Same with Lyle and his Gunsniper. Then we'll converge in on our target from three sides. Simple enough." Lyle snorted.

            "Sorry… I just can't get over how you call your Lightning Saix just Saix. Most people actually use the full name." Rayne shook her head. There was no point in arguing, though, so she kept her mouth shut. Ryan cut the silence.

            "We'd better rest up. Sorry, but Sai doesn't exactly have a clean record on terms of cheating. In fact, I think his is probably the most soiled I've seen. If we're going to counter his cheap shots we're going to have to have our wits about us." Rayne stood up and walked outside. This wasn't going to be a good battle; it was going to be a horrible. She had a feeling that they were going to lose, miserably. 

            Morning came upon them slowly. The battle was today.

            The Crimson Team's zoids lined up in a row on one side of the battle field, while the Ace Team's did the same on the other side. Rayne opened a communications link with Sai.

            "You'd better not try anything illegal this time. I want a clean fight, got it?!"

            "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Spades." An object came crashing down from the sky, throwing up dust, dirt, and sand. In the center of the crater a judge capsule protruded from the ground. The capsule opened and a judge began making its announcements.

            "This area is now a designated Zoid Battlefield. Only personnel have authorization to be in the area. All others must leave. Crimson Team versus the Ace Team. Battle mode 0982. Ready? Fight!"

            Sai's Terrace instantly took off into flight, avoiding the few shots from Rayne's Lightning Saix. Ryan went straight for the nearest Rev Raptor, piloted by Kristie, and let loose with a barrage of shots. The Rev Raptor dodged them with ease.

            "What?! I missed every shot! Impossible! They weren't this fast last time we fought them!" 

            Lyle was busy worrying about his own target. Kelley's zoid was chasing him, and gaining too. Lyle spun and got a few quick shots in before tuning around again. "They are to fast! She's going to catch me!" Kelley smirked as she extended her zoids dual blades and continued to charge. Her right blade clipped the leg of the Gunsniper, sending it crashing to the ground. 

            "Command system freeze" appeared on his screen, but Lyle wasn't awake to see it.

            "Lyle's out of the battle!" Ryan paused to double check that his partner's zoid was frozen before moving after the much more agile Rev Raptor that he was tailing. The gorilla-like zoid was far too sluggish to keep up with the Raptor-style one. And it definitely couldn't beat two. Kelley and Kristie, the Jackson Twins, both had their blades extended and charged. Ryan pounded one away with his zoids fist before the other one sliced through the metal that was his zoids back mounted weapon. Ryan's zoid was now frozen as well. 

            The battle between the Ace and Crimson teams was being broadcast all over Zi. Every diner, bar, or public place with a TV was tuned in. From a corner of the After Battle Eatery the Blitz Team watched the battle. It was going to be a crushing defeat to the Ace Team if they lost so early into the match. It was likely they'd stay in Class A, but unlikely that they'd decide to go to the Royal Cup tournament. Bit Cloud leaned back in his seat.

            "With one zoid left against two, the Ace Team is toast." 

            Rayne was following behind Sai cautiously, perfectly aware of the state of the rest of her team. Gin had done a wonderful job on the zoid's controls. It took little more than a light push to move the zoid to the side and it happened as soon as the controls were turned. She eyed the small monitor on the right side of her console. The other Rev Raptor was trying to move in front of her. Rayne quickly decided her course of action. 

            Kristie carefully planted her zoid to intercept the Lightning Saix that was fast approaching. One hundred meters. Ninety meters. Eighty meters. Seventy. She was closing the gap fast. Sai passed the Rev Raptor over head. Twenty meters. Ten meters. 'Now or never…' Rayne pushed the black button on each of her controls and her thrusters instantly came on, flying so quickly past the Rev Raptor that the enemy zoid was thrown onto its back. Now it was one on one.

            "That was an impressive move." Leena kicked Bit under the table.

            "Ow! Hey what was that for?!"

            "You said the Ace Team was toast. It's one on one now."

            "But it's a Terrace against a Lightning Saix," Jamie explained, "The Crimson Team still holds the advantage."

            "We'll just have to see how this plays out." The Blitz Team continued to watch the battle between the siblings. 

            Sai accelerated his zoid as well, pulling even farther ahead and pulling a U-turn. He dove low to the ground and charged straight at her. It was an impressive show of daring, but as the zoids passed it was unclear who had scored a hit and who had taken one. In fact, each zoid continued moving for about forty more meters before something happened.

            "See you later, Spades." 

            Rayne's Lightning Saix fell to the ground, a gash in its leg.

            "Damn… You win this time, Hearts. But next time it won't end this way." She wasn't one to bear a grudge, but she was going to make an exception for her brother.

            "The battle is over! The Battle is over! The winner is… The Crimson Team!" The judge announced before taking off back to the judge satellite.

            "It was a valiant effort on their part, but the Ace Team just couldn't compete." Bit stood and stretched.

            "I guess not." Leena sighed in defeat as the entire Blitz Team stood and left the Eatery, herself included. The match had been amusing, but the winner had been determined at the start. 

            Rayne was sitting in her zoid making a few of the many repairs the Lightning Saix would have to undergo. Lyle was off loafing somewhere and Ryan's contract with the Ace Team had expired with that battle.  After tightening a particularly difficult bolt, Rayne was teetering on the edge of sleep. With nothing to do but worry about her zoid and the team's status she was quickly overexerting both her mind and body. She reached down for a wrench but knocked it out of the cockpit with the back of her hand. She sighed and leaned out to see where it fell and instead was forced to catch the flying tool as it neared her head. She looked down at the ground, surprised both by the wrench and what she saw.

            "Gin! Hold on a sec! I'll be right down!" She jumped down from her cockpit and approached the older woman, a weary smile on her features. "What happened to you a week ago? You just up and disappeared on us."

            "I had things to do and places to be. I do work, you know. I watched your battle from the store. You all put up a good fight."

            "I guess it wasn't good enough, though. But it's alright. We've just got to get these repairs done and then we can get back to battling and try to regain our rank."

            "You didn't lose any rank. You lost to a team that was ranked higher than yourselves."

            "They were ranked higher than us? But they were B Class last week!"

            "I know it sounds amazing but it's true. Since you saw them a week ago they managed to improve a lot. If they had challenged you back then you would have won hands down. They drastically improved their zoids' speed and power. Even if they retained their new skills as pilots, if they had normal zoids you would have won that battle."

            "But how'd they improve them so much?" Gin shrugged and then walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

            "Don't worry about it, things happen. You lost this time, but the result doesn't have to be the same next time." Rayne nodded and looked out the hanger door at the zoid standing there.

            "You have a Hell Cat?"

            "Yeah. I'm too old to handle the Storm Sworder any more. So I use that Hell Cat to get me around."

            "But you can still pilot a zoid. Otherwise you'd just have a Gustav or a car."

            "Yes. I can still pilot a zoid fairly well. Where're Lyle and Ryan?"

            "Lyle's off somewhere, probably sleeping, and Ryan's contract expired."

            "That's right, he's a mercenary." Both women seated themselves at the foot of the Lightning Saix. "You know, I still have that old Storm Sworder. You can have it, if you think you can handle it."

            "I couldn't take your zoid. Besides, aerial zoids have different controls than ground based ones. I'm positive I'd lose control and probably crash it."

            "Nonsense. I'll bring it over tomorrow. You can try it out then. And no use arguing with me," She stood and grinned lightly, "I'm very headstrong."

            "Gin… If you can still pilot, who don't you belong to a team?"

            "No one's ever asked me to join one."

            "Well if you could handle a Storm Sworder you've got to be pretty good. What do you say? Want to join the Ace Team?" Gin nodded swiftly and then walked over to Rayne.

            "I'll see you tomorrow. And don't worry about repairs; I'll handle those when I get here." She turned and left without another word, Rayne staring after her for a moment before heading inside the base.

Okay, end of chapter 3. Please notify me if I screwed up on any of the battle stuff, specifically the Judge. I haven't seen the Slash Zero series in a while. Please review. Thanks in advance!


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, on to Part 2! No more introductory chapters! Please review and enjoy!

Part 2

Chapter 4

            The sounds of battle rang loud and clear amidst the silent desert setting. After a few weeks vacation, the Ace Team was back in action and was showing a great improvement. Part was because of the addition of Gin to their team, and part was because of a new sense of reason. Now that they had a goal to work to they felt that they were invincible, and it showed in their battle style. 

            "Ultima Team, regroup!" The main Command Wolf of the opposing team ordered, pulling his own zoid back from an increasingly difficult showdown with Lyle's Gunsniper. "This team is amazing! I can't see how the Crimson Team could have beaten them!"

            Rayne had been sitting patiently at the edge of the battlefield, her Lightning Saix poised for action. Gin was remaining nearby, although she took shots at the enemy when they drew near. It was a fairly uneventful battle, and the Ultima Team acted predictably throughout the whole match thus far. It was a matter of time before they made a fatal mistake. And it looked like that had just happened.

            The three Command Wolves huddled within twenty meters of each other, debating on their next action. Bad move. Rayne instantly prodded the controls of her zoid, flying forward towards them. She was still out of range of their radar but getting this over with quickly was the key. She flipped on the boosters and sat back in her seat, weathering the pressure laid on her body by the sudden increase in speed. By the time the other team realized their mistake it was too late, Rayne was practically on top of them. It took her a couple of practice shots to get herself used to the shaky controls of the speeding Saix but soon she had mastered it as if she were jogging along. It took three shells to down the first Command Wolf, and only two to take out the next, but the third proved to be a pain. 

            Although it was a battle that was clearly one sided, the leader of the Ultima Team pressed on, avoiding Rayne's initial onslaught by a fraction of an inch, escaping critical damage, barely. Now he had launched his own attack but his shots were seemingly random as he fired at the much more agile Lightning Saix. All of his shells missed their mark, and none of them came within ten meters of the zoid. 

            "Stop dodging and come in here and take me on! Stop being such a coward!" A slight smirk betrayed Rayne's stoic expression as she changed direction and charged. The Command Wolf began pulling back and found itself in a corner, stuck between loss at Rayne's hand or loss at Lyle's or Gin's. Either way the Ultima Team was destined to drop a full Class for this loss. As Saix passed its target, a fleeting moment of anxiety fluttered through its pilot's mind. 'Did I hit the mark?!'

            The Command Wolf fell, its back mounted gun taken clear off of its back by Saix's claws. It was an easy victory for the Ace Team.

            "The battle is over! The battle is over! The winner is… the Ace Team!" 

            About an hour after their battle ended, the Ace Team entered the After Battle Eatery, eager smiles on their faces. It had been a while since they'd come here, since they hadn't fought many battles recently. Lyle and Gin walked ahead of Rayne, but only by a couple steps. Rayne sped up her pace for a moment before she was right behind them. With a sigh she flopped forward, leaning on both Lyle and Gin for support, though she still walked along behind them. They both glanced back at her and Lyle raised an eyebrow.

            "What's wrong with you?" She had a dazed appearance, almost as if she were daydreaming.

            "I was just thinking about the look on my brother's face when he realizes we're serious about fighting him again… It would be great to get revenge on the Crimson Team, don't you agree?" Five sets of ears perked at her statement.

            "You're the Ace Team, huh?" Rayne stopped short of continuing on when she heard someone address them. She turned around slowly and nodded.

            "Yeah." At first she wanted to ask who had asked but five sets of eager eyes were fixed on her. Now she knew who it was. It had been a while ago, but she remembered seeing them all before. Probably on TV.

            "Nice battle against the Ultima Team. You really dominated." Both Lyle and Gin had turned around by now, joining their team leader at the base of one of the tables.

            "Thanks." She blushed a little, realizing that the compliment had come from Bit Cloud, the very Zoid Warrior that had won the last Royal Cup tournament. 

            "Maybe you'll be in Class S someday. Can't wait to battle you all." Jaime, Leena, Brad, and "Doc" nodded their agreement. Jaime smiled.

            "You know…" he paused before continuing on, "You pilot a little like Jack Sysco, relying on your speed and all, and so far it's been working for you. Bet you spend some serious time coming up with new tactics for your battles." Rayne nodded lightly, blushing even more from being compared to the mercenary that piloted his own Lightning Saix. Lyle and Gin hadn't said a word. The younger pilot just stood dumbfounded at having at least seen the Blitz Team up close, even if he hadn't said anything. Gin was as calm as ever, that woman rarely changed.

            After conversing for a little while, the Blitz Team eventually had to leave. It was time for one of their own battles. Rayne, Lyle, and Gin settled themselves into a table that could easily see the TV at the front of the diner. They ordered a light meal and stopped eating as soon as the familiar scene popped up on the screen. The distant voice of a judge, distorted by the television, announced the usual battle area and rules before announcing the beginning of the fight. Rayne, who had been nervous earlier talking to the Blitz Team, didn't manage to catch who they were battling against. It began quickly, Bit's Zero Jager taking up the attack and downing one of the opposing zoids in a few minutes, and ended just as fast, Leena and Brad's zoids taking out the last two with a couple of shots. An easy victory against a team that was obviously out of their league.

            "Who didn't see that one coming?" Lyle leaned back in his seat. "Hey Rayne?"

            "Yeah?"

            "If Gin gave you a new zoid, why haven't you used it?"

            "The controls to an aerial zoid and the controls to a ground-based one are really different. I haven't really grasped the whole 'up is down, down is up' thing, if you know what I mean. That and I'd swear it had a temper…"

            "In a way, it does. Just be nice to it and-"

            "Wait… Okay, let me get this straight. Rayne's zoid has a temper and we should be nice to it?!"

            "Yes."

            "How?!"

            "It's actually very simple. The Storm Sworder is organoid compatible and has an Organoid System."  
            "Meaning an organoid is juctioned to that zoid." Rayne leaned back. That was one bit of news she would have been willing to miss. A normal zoid was hard to maintain, let alone one with a temper. This was going to take some getting used to.

Okay, yeah, I know. Cheap shot giving her an organoid system but I hit a major writer's block. But, also, having that system isn't going to make her some invicible fighter so look forward to plenty of twists in the plot later on. Please review, and thanks for reading my story.


	5. Chapter 5

Since I promised a couple of plot twists in my story I decided to actually keep my promise. There ought to be a major twist in this one (or the next one, depending on how long this chapter becomes) so, please, keep reading! Also, please review! Thanks and enjoy!

Part 2

Chapter 5

            After returning to their base, Rayne ended up spending a lot of her spare time in the hanger with her two zoids making simple, pointless repairs. Most of the time she wasn't even thinking about what she was doing, it had become second instinct, but was thinking about the bit of information Gin had fed her at the Eatery. 

            'That Storm Sworder has an organoid? But wouldn't that make it an Ultimate X like the Liger Zero and the Berserk Fury? Impossible,' she shook her head repeatedly. 'I've seen zoids that have a temper without an organoid. It's just a normal zoid. It… it has to be. Damn it! I can't control a zoid with an organoid!' She continued to align Saix's left leg, which was the one nearly severed by Sai in that battle. As soon as that was done she used a rope to lower herself down so she was level with that leg and began checking and rechecking the wiring. Lyle stood in the doorway leading to the hanger and Gin was right behind him.

            "She's really worked up. I haven't seen her do this since before the Ace Tournament. What do you think she's so worried about?" When he didn't receive an immediate reply he turned to face them woman behind him. She looked past him at the girl whose mind was obviously racing. She shook her head slowly and sighed, closing her eyes.

            "She doesn't think she can handle the Storm Sworder. That's why she's devoting all of her attention to working on Saix."

            "It makes sense… but why would she do that? I know Rayne, and I know her piloting skills, and she can handle that Zoid." 

            "I agree, but she's convinced herself otherwise." Gun moved passed Lyle on her way to Rayne. Lyle grabbed her arm and shook his head slowly.

            "Let her figure this out for herself. That's the only way to convince her, I know that too." Gin nodded and stepped back inside the base.

            'Why I am so scared of that zoid? Why couldn't I control it? I can pilot Saix at full speed can't I? But that's not the same, is it? But I'm the Ace of Spades; shouldn't I be able to handle any zoid? Shouldn't I-' her thoughts were cut short by an explosion from outside, the vibrations knocking her off of her delicate perch. With both skill and luck she turned to land on her feet instead of her head, though she crouched to one knee from the force of landing. Both Gin and Lyle were beside. They ran to the hanger and opened it to look outside.

            A black Whale King began landing just outside of the hanger and Rayne had to throw her arms up to keep the sand from her eyes. Gin held onto the hanger frame as another explosion rocked the base. Lyle ran up to Rayne and put a hand on her shoulder, shouting something that she couldn't hear over the landing Whale King. She managed to make out a single word, though.

            "… Backdraft…" Then he backed off, running to tell Gin what he'd tried to tell her. Rayne stepped back a couple of steps as the Whale King finally settled down and opened its "mouth".

            "The hell-" Rayne began before she was cut off by a person's appearance. It was Sai.

            "Hello, Ace Team."

            "Sai! What's the deal! You're with the Backdraft now?!" Lyle shouted, running up behind Rayne with Gun right behind him. Sai smirked before replying.

            "You could say that. And in accordance with Backdraft rules and regulations we have the right to confiscate your zoids."

            "What?!" Down the ramp came the two Rev Raptors, each improved greatly beyond what they were when the teams last fought. "You have no right to do such a thing!" Gin was outraged and, if it weren't for Lyle, would have been at Sai's neck by now. Rayne was just staring at him wide-eyed.

            "By agreeing to battle us you were agreeing to allow us to confiscate your zoids should you lose. It's pretty simple; I don't see what the big deal is."

            "Well I do!" Gin had gotten free of Lyle's grasp. "It wasn't stated that you were with the Backdraft when they fought you! Also, you cannot confiscate either the Hell Cat or the Storm Sworder because they weren't on the team at the time of battle."

            "The rules state that any and all zoids under the possession of the defeated team are to be confiscated and-"

            "Since when has the Backdraft had rules anyway?!" Rayne sighed and looked at the ground and then to Lyle, who simply shrugged. Gin wasn't helping by arguing with Sai, he could go on for days. Rayne turned and glanced back at the hanger. The door was open and she could see Saix just standing there. Time for action. She started sprinting for the hanger.

            "Sai! She's heading for her zoid!" Sai looked up at Kristie's accusation. 

            "Come now, little sister, did you think you'd make it to your zoid? Kelley! Kristie! After her!" The Rev Raptors charged after Rayne, who had just gotten inside the hanger and was using the rope she had been sitting on to climb quickly up into the cockpit. Once inside the cockpit of Saix with the canopy closed she began to work a few of the controls to make sure everything was operational. It was. After a couple of quickly input commands she was off and running towards the opposing zoids.

            "Damn it, get out of my way!" She charged and, with a bit of luck, knocked the first Rev Raptor on its back, causing the second to halt in front of it.  Kelley pulled her zoid back a little, now wary of the Lightning Saix that stood in front of her. With a howl the cat-like zoid was upon its enemy, teeth and claws flashing. The Rev Raptor fell with little effort beneath the might of the Lightning Saix and its enraged pilot. Sai's smirk faded instantly as he stalked back up into the Whale King. Though the "mouth" closed, an opening in the "belly" of the transporter opened as it took off. As soon as it was above the two wrecked zoids and their attacker, two iron claws connected to chains shot down towards the ground. Saix dodged one in time to come out unscathed and the claws grabbed the fallen Rev Raptors and pulled them into the Whale King. When it had finally disappeared into the horizon Rayne jumped out of Saix and landed next to Lyle and Gin.

            "The Crimson Team is with the Backdraft, then."

            "We shouldn't accept any battles from them from now on." Rayne sighed and her partners looked over at her, worried.

            "I think I'm going to try to learn how to pilot the Storm Sworder, organoid or not." Gin immediately brightened up and Lyle's expression shone with respect for his fellow zoid warrior, and perhaps a little jealousy, too. 

End chapter 5. Okay, so another cheap shot having the Crimson Team join the Backdraft but I planned that much from the start. I hope I haven't become too monotonous with my story so much that my readers are getting bored. Please review so I know if I am or not. Also, thanks for reading my story!


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, we're now on to chapter 6. I'm not sure if there will be any more major plot twists but I am planning to include some characters from the series. I hope you're enjoying my story thus far. Please review. 

Section 2

Chapter 6

            The night had gone by slowly, with no one getting a lot of sleep. Everyone came down to the living room at some time during the night until, around two in the morning when Lyle came down, an unexpected team meeting was called. For a while no one wanted to speak, they just sat there trying to read each other's expressions. It was going to be a long night…

            "Rayne…" Gin looked down at the ground as she spoke. "I'm pretty sure your brother's going to return." Rayne merely nodded. Lyle was the next to speak.

            "What're we going to do until they show up, sleep in our zoids? They might show up tomorrow or it might not be until next week. We don't have any idea. So what're we going to do?" The team captain grimaced lightly as she leaned back in her seat and looked up to the ceiling.

            "I don't know. Saix is out of commission and I haven't even tried to pilot Sworder yet-"

            "You're already using a nickname for it…"

            "Shut up, Lyle. It's going to be up to you two."

            "You can pilot the Storm Sworder as soon as tomorrow. Its controls aren't that different from the Lightning Saix's and the force of lift off and landing isn't any worse than going full speed in your other zoid." Gin explained, standing in front of the younger woman. "In fact, you might as well learn to pilot it tomorrow. We don't have the parts to fix the Saix and we can't go out to get some until we're sure that they won't be returning." The light from the two moons shone through the blinds on the window and illuminated the small room. Rayne rolled over to lie on her side and sighed in defeat.

            "Alright. I'll try it tomorrow. We should get some sleep. I'm going to stay here in the living room, in case they come back in the middle of the night." Lyle and Gin nodded and Lyle walked over and laid a reassuring hand on Rayne's shoulder.

            "Rayne, if you want I'll wake up at like six to let you get some sleep before you try to pilot Sworder."

            "I'll be fine… but… thanks…"  Lyle and Gin left to their own rooms while Rayne prepared for a sleepless night. 

            The newly risen sun shone through the same window that had, only hours before, harbored the light of two moons. Rayne flipped over uneasily as she attempted to get comfortable on the couch. She opened her eyes slowly, realizing that she had failed to maintain a vigil of the hanger during the night. She practically flew off of the couch and into the hanger, sighing in relief when she saw all four zoids still in their respective places. Gin and Lyle came down at the same time, about an hour after Rayne woke up, to find warm tea and biscuits already made and waiting. They ate quickly and quietly and were nearly finished by the time Rayne walked into the kitchen with uncooked bacon and eggs from the store. She glanced around at her partners and walked over to the stove, turning on the burners and putting the bacon in one and the eggs in another. 

            "I didn't know you could cook!" Lyle said, smiling arrogantly. Rayne turned around to face him.

            "I was living alone in this base before I met you or Ryan in that tournament, remember?"

            "Why? I mean… Why were you alone and for how long?"

            "I was alone for about… Let's see. I'm eighteen now… I was… Hm… About eight years."

            "Eight years?! Are you serious?!" Rayne nodded and turned back to her cooking. "But why would you want to be alone for eight years?"

            "I didn't have a choice. My parents died when I was ten, or at least I'm pretty sure they did. We were separated when a zoid battle got out of hand and the city we were in started taking damage. I assume they died because they didn't come looking for me or my brother, who was with me. My brother and I didn't get along even back then, and he told me he didn't want to take care of some crybaby so he left. Some people took me in for a while. They were part of a zoid team and at first I appreciated having somewhere to stay. But I got annoyed by those people constantly pestering me about learning to pilot a zoid. Now that I'm older I realize why they wanted me to, but back then I didn't want to bother. They had me learn on a Lightning Saix and I grasped the concepts of piloting pretty quickly. Eventually I ran away with Saix and I found this place abandoned. It took a while but I earned enough money from winning some competitions to fix this place up fairly well. It wasn't until I won the Ace Tournament and met you and Ryan that I had enough to actually take extremely good care of Saix, so I can pilot it fairly well if it's damaged. But it's too damaged for me to pilot now. Listen to me; I'm getting off the subject. But yeah, that's why I was alone for eight years." Lyle and Gun listened to her story patiently.  By the time Rayne was done both the bacon and eggs were cooked. She put them both on plates and put them on the table, seating herself and grabbing the last biscuit to munch on. 

            "Why didn't you tell us?" Gin didn't want to intrude, but it would have been a lot easier to understand the level of hate between Rayne and Sai.

            "You never asked, and I pushed it out of my mind long ago. I hadn't seen Sai in seven years before the Ace Tournament and not very often since. It never occurred to me that anyone would really want to know about my past." 

            An explosion brought everyone to the present and, though they had expected it, it caught them slightly off guard. 

            "They're back," Lyle stood up and began running to the hanger but shots fired from a zoid blasted down the windows in the living room, halting the advances of the worried pilot. Rayne and Gin were now beside him. While Rayne checked to see if the enemy zoid was still nearby the window, Gin looked over Lyle and worried over glass shards embedded in his arm from the shattered window. From her vantage point, Rayne spotted the Whale King from before flying over head and she also saw, much to her dismay, all three zoids from the Crimson Team running along below it. 

            "Lyle, Gin! Now's our chance! Can you get to the hanger and into your zoids?" Though her entire statement was more of a demand than a question, there was still the hint of worry in her tone. She jogged over to them as they nodded and she grinned at their response as she turned to head to the hanger. 

            "Rayne!" The younger woman turned to look at Gin, who was supporting Lyle with her shoulder. She waited for the rest of the woman's sentence. "Use Sworder. Trust me; it'll come in handy against your brother's Terrace." Rayne nodded quickly as she continued into the hanger. Sworder stood imposingly between her and Saix. Rayne walked over to it slowly and noticed that Gin had painted something on the side. She smirked lightly to herself as she ran her fingers over the Ace of Spades emblem. She looked over at the Gunsniper that stood between Sworder and the Hell Cat Gin piloted. She smiled as she noticed the painting on its side.

            'Why didn't I notice this before?' she asked herself in wonder. 'Gin knows a lot more than she lets on…' She jumped up into the aerial zoid's cockpit and buckled herself in. She pulled a helmet from behind the seat and strapped it on. She tugged lightly at the black gloves she wore to keep from tearing up her hands in combat. She prepared to start the zoid but paused, looking at the palms of her gloved hands. Slowly she removed them to glance at the scars underneath. A terrible memory flooded back.

            _"Momma?! Papa?! Where are you? Sai?!" Rayne ran frantically through the burning streets. She slowed to a jog as she approached a downed zoid. Before she could reach it she saw a small boy jump into the cockpit and begin punching buttons. "Sai? Sai?! Sai!" The older boy looked at her coldly from the zoid. Just as the girl made it to the cockpit the boy shouted at her._

_            "Get out of here, you lousy crybaby! I'm not going to take care of you! Get lost! You heard me, beat it!"_

_            "Sai…? But where're mom and dad?" The boy closed the canopy and brought the zoid back up. It took her a moment, but Rayne recognized it as a Terrace Bomber. Just as the Terrace was about to take off, a D-Bison shot at it from across the city. Many of the bullets it had fired hit buildings and signs on the way but a few reached their target. Shards of broken metal and wires rained down on the frightened girl. She put her hands up to defend her face, the metal and circuitry slashing through her tender palms. Her agonized cry wasn't heard above the Terrace's lift off and the D-Bison's shots. _

_            A few shots from a renegade D-Bison was all it took for Rayne to had an everlasting fear of zoids that, until now, had been disguised as hatred toward her brother. It had taken her years to overcome it, and for a while, when she was ten, she refused to try to learn. Now, she realized, she hated him because he abandoned her, he left her, he didn't even care about their parents… But none of that would have happened if that battle hadn't gone awry. She smiled at the irony as she pulled her gloves back on, grabbing the controls of the Storm Sworder. But it was him, not that D-Bison, that stood outside and threatened her safety. She opened the hanger using the control in the zoid's cockpit and prepared for lift off. _

            "Sworder…" At first there was no reply from the zoid but there eventually came a low rumbling from deep within its core. "It's my first time fighting with you. Let's try to be good partners. Leave the Rev Raptors to the Hell Cat and Gunsniper… Our target is the Terrace Bomber." Another rumbling growl signified the zoid's response. "Gin, Lyle?" She noticed that, by now, both of them had strapped themselves into their own zoids. "Do you know what to do?"

            "Yeah, of course."

            "Naturally, we take out the two lackeys while you get to be the hero and defeat Sai… Yep, got it." Rayne smiled at the hint of jealousy in Lyle's voice, though he tried to hide it. 

            "I'll let you do it next time, I promise." 

            "Hm, no you won't. Alas, I suppose some promises are made to be broken…" Again she smiled as Lyle and Gin raced out of the hanger. The enemy was ready for them and countered with a magnificent show of skill. Sai stood back and watched the battle unfold. 

            'Where is she? Rayne! Come out and fight!' he thought, flipping the cover of his "fire" button up and down. 

            "It seems as though my little sister has decided not to fight… What a coward. I mean she isn't even brave enough to-"

            "Oh shut-up, hearts!" Sai looked towards then hanger in time to see the Storm Sworder lift off into the air. He smirked lightly as he prodded the controls of the Terrace which raced into the sky after the other zoid.

            "A new zoid? Saix not good enough?" Rayne kept her mouth shut, though her blood was boiling in anger. 

            "You've had that Terrace for a while… How long has it been? Eight years?" Sai balked as he recalled that day.

            "I guess… What does it matter?"

            "I could have died, Sai, because you were selfish and didn't want to take care of a crybaby like me. Now look at how things have unfolded… You're ranked fourth out of hundreds of zoid pilots that competed in the Ace Tournament. You are revered by many and hailed as an ultimate zoid warrior. But who's one of the three who upstaged you, Sai? Your crybaby sister."

            "Shut up, Rayne!"

            "No, Sai. You have to hear me out because it's time you heard the truth. All of this is a result of that horrible battle that could have destroyed our parents… but all you think about is the glory you lost at a single tournament. You're pitiful, Sai. Get out of here. I'm not going to take care of you. You heard me, beat it." Sai didn't like in when people threw his words back at him. He was seething with rage and, without thinking, he fired upon his sibling. In his rage he was careless, he didn't take aim, but it wouldn't have mattered if he did. Because by the time the shots he fired reached the area where Sworder flew, the aerial zoid was three feet ahead and by the time Sai realized his mistake, his sister had upstaged him again and was the one doing the chasing. "Sai, letting your anger control you won't do you any good! I can not force you to realize what you've done to yourself; I can only show you the surface. You have to dive deeper. Think about this on your way down." 

            Sworder extended its blades without Rayne putting in a conscious command. Then the thrusters fired up and the Storm Sworder began gaining on the Terrace. Sai looked down at the ground. His team was no more than unmoving dots now. They had been beaten and Lyle and Gin watched the battle above with anxiety and fear, but there was always that hope that, given the right reason, could evolve into a burning chance. That spark of hope shone brighter than the fear that showed in their expressions. Though there was always a chance of the opposite, they knew that Rayne had Sai beaten.

            And she did.

            Sworder flew directly into the Terrace's wing, slicing it clean off. Without a wing the aerial zoid was incapable of flight. It plummeted towards the solid ground at an alarming rate. It was three hundred meters up, two hundred, one hundred, fifty, forty… Its fall was broken by the claw of the Whale King as it plucked the critically damaged zoid right out of the sky. Two other claws were dragging up the Rev Raptors. The battle was over. Rayne had beaten Sai.

            Rayne plopped herself down on the couch vaguely aware of the glass shards cutting into her arms and legs. Gin walked in, exhausted, and Lyle followed with a tired grin on his face.

            "We beat them… Finally…"

            "I'm pretty sure they won't be returning for a while. Definitely not tonight. Anyone up for a meal at the After Battle Eatery?" Gin smiled hopefully. Lyle nodded quickly but Rayne was less sure as she nodded her consent. They left a half an hour later and arrived fifteen minutes after that. They entered to the familiar sounds of talking people and cooking food. The smells were as inviting as the prospect of a moment without Sai breathing down their backs. They had taken a few steps before someone called out, halting them all.

            "Hey, Ace Team!"

Whoo, long chapter… My hand hurts now. Anyway, I didn't manage to include any characters from the series but I am definitely sure I'm going to get to that next chapter. I tried to incorporate a flashback and, in case you didn't figure it out by both the text clues and the change in text, it was in italics. Okay, please review. Also, any suggestions/hints/comments/criticism is welcome. Thanks for reading my story.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, Chapter 7. Just so you know: I originally planned 14 chapters but it looks like 15 right now. I doubt it'll get any higher. Anyway, I haven't done a disclaimer in a while so here: I do not own zoids (although I wish I did) and I have made my own setting to avoid any law suits (why would anyone want to sue me?!) and so don't bother accusing me of copyright entrenchment, okay? Okay. Please enjoy and uh *cough**_pleasecough_****_reviewcough_****_mycough_****_storycough*. Excuse me, now with the story._**

Part 2

Chapter 7

            Rayne turned at the sound of someone calling out to her from a table near the back. She smiled lightly, recognizing the voice of Bit Cloud.

            "Bit! It's been a while!" Lyle and Gin were grinning beside her, happy to get a chance to talk to Bit again. He was alone this time. At first Rayne was going to ask where the rest of his team was but she decided against it, shaking her head. The three of them walked over to him and seated themselves at the same table.

            "Tell me about it. How've things been going for you all?"

            "Pretty good, except for a few minor incidents."

            "Hm, well I hope things get better for you. Did you all hear about the base in the Unnamed Desert that took an attack from an unknown Whale King yesterday?"

            "Naturally… It was our base." Lyle sighed after he'd finished speaking and leaned back in his seat.

            "Really?!"

            "And it happened again today." Gin did the same as Lyle, mocking his position fairly well.

            "Well you all are awfully calm about it."

            "It was Sai, so we know that the attacks are over for now." Rayne picked up the conversation again.

            "Are you sure?" She nodded. "Well then, why was he attacking you all? I've never heard of sibling rivalry going that far before."

            "He joined the Backdraft."

            "But the Backdraft was arrested, all of them. Right?"

            "Supposedly, but it might be possible that some members slipped through the cracks. We know that Sarah, Count, Layon, and the other head leaders were successfully apprehended but there were plenty of low ranked members ready to take the reigns if necessary." 

            "I see… So nondescript soldiers assumed leadership."

            "Basically." 

            "I wonder why they haven't come after us yet…"

            "Because you are in Class S, we have reason to believe that they haven't attacked you because they don't think they have the skill or firepower to beat you."

            "And you know this, how?"

            "It's just speculation." 

            "Do you have to talk like a scientist?"

            "It's a sign that she's worried." Lyle grinned, pleased with himself for knowing his partner so well. Gin tapped him on the shoulder and, as he turned to look at her, popped him upside the head with the back of her hand. They were all worried, and Gin was not in the mood for Lyle's antics. Rayne leaned back and looked at the ceiling.

            "I wonder if we should have left our zoids back at the base… Maybe we should have brought them with us… I don't trust Sai."

            "We can't fit four zoids onto the back on the Gustav. We probably couldn't even fit three, let alone Sworder." Bit perked up a little at then mention of a fourth zoid.

            "Sworder? A Storm Sworder?"

            "Yeah, a gift from Gin who couldn't pilot it anymore. It's already beginning to be known as my second zoid, though I've only used it once." 

            "A Storm Sworder and a Lightning Saix. You've got some fairly impressive zoids. Add to them Lyle's Gunsniper and Gin's Hell Cat and you all are a force to be reckoned with."

            "Perhaps, but we still lost to Sai the first time-"

            "But we wiped them out the second time. You should have heard Kelley and Kristie shouting about how we cheated to win." Lyle seemed to enjoy butting into the conversation.

            "I wish I could have but-"

            "You were too bust lecturing your brother and kicking his ass." Gin couldn't resist, it was the perfect time to mention Rayne's dominance over her older brother. Rayne's tension was released a little, though it was obvious she was still worried. She turned to Bit.

            "You've had a couple of unsanctioned battles with the Backdraft before, is there anything we should expect soon?"

            "Well, as long as they don't show up with an Ultimate X or something you all should be fine. Just do what you did last time. Sounds like you all really dominated." Lyle and Gin grinned while Rayne flushed under the praise of the more experienced warrior.

            "Bit." Gin looked around at everyone before continuing, making sure she had everyone's attention. "Rayne's Storm Sworder is… um, unique. After I had it checked out after a particularly grueling battle it was found to have a mysterious black box in it."

            "An organoid system?"

            "Most likely. And, though Rayne hadn't piloted it before, it knew exactly what to do against Sai's Terrace. It went down with ease, though she had never fought in any aerial zoid before."

            "Did you fight against a Terrace when you piloted it?" Gin nodded. "Then it's probably an organoid system. It remembered the capabilities of the Terrace and used the data to pull off a win. But I don't see how an Ultimate X could choose two pilots…"

            "I don't think it did. It was particularly unruly when I piloted it, but I never stopped to consider that it was anything more than a normal, slightly rambunctious zoid. But it showed no signs of its earlier playfulness when Rayne was piloting. I believe she was the intended pilot."

            "Sounds that way." 

            "Gin, why didn't you tell me anything about this before?" Rayne looked worried, and her tension was gradually increasing again.

            "You never asked, and I pushed it out of my mind long ago." The younger woman sighed at the words that came out of the older woman's mouth, recognizing her own dialog from earlier that day. Lyle couldn't hold in anymore. He let loose with uneasy laughter as though someone had made a joke but he stopped slowly.

            "Sorry… I just like to laugh when I get worried… Damn… Why did Sai have to do all of this?!" He punched the table, letting all of his rage out in that easy motion. Rayne jumped at his action and Gin put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Lyle continued apologizing for a full five minutes before he realized that everyone understood and wasn't holding it against him. With an uneasy smile he slunk down in his seat as if were trying to disappear. 

            Their conversation with Bit lasted a little longer and ended on friendly terms as Bit announced his departure. They all said polite farewells and Bit left, leaving the Ace Team alone to think for a while. No one said anything when the food came. They all ate quickly and, when Lyle finally finished his one-half pound burger, they stood to leave, leaving their payment on the table. Just as they reached the door it flew open revealing a flustered, tired, oddly dressed man with brown hair. He blinked as he stood before the Ace Team who, in turn, blinked back.

            "Hah! I found you!"

            "And you are…?"

            "I'm Harry Champ. I'm a man destined to be king!"

            "And you were looking for us… why?"

            "I want to challenge you to a zoids battle. Two times the normal prize money!" Lyle and Gin looked to Rayne, who glanced back to them before answering.

            "Hm… Send the details to our base and we'll consider it." Though he balked for a moment, Harry regained his composure and nodded and held his hand to his chin as though mulling over what she had said.

            "Alright then. See you in battle, Ace Team." Harry went in, the Ace Team went out, and neither said another word as they went their separate ways. 

            Later on… Rayne, Lyle, and Gin were in the Gustav, each thinking about their own things. Eventually Lyle spoke up.

            "Didn't the Champ Team challenge Bit's team a lot back when they were in Class A?" 

            "Come to think of it, yeah." Rayne looked out at the rolling dunes of the Unnamed Desert.

            "Didn't we watch a lot of those battles?"

            "Yes."

            "And what'd we learn from them? I… Uh… Can't remember…"

            "That the Champ Team relies a little too heavily on their money to win and that Harry has a major crush on Leena."

            "Is that all?"

            "And he's Bit's rival." Gin added her input quickly and quietly. Everyone then lapsed back into their thoughtful silence until they reached their base. 

            Once all three of them had passed through the hanger and into the main body of the base, Rayne signaled a quick team meeting. The data from the Champ Team had arrived. Rayne flipped through it quickly, almost nonchalantly, before the rest of her team arrived. When the door to the operations room opened and Lyle and Gin stepped inside, they were greeted by a grinning Rayne.

            "I've just gone over the data that the Champ Team sent us. I believe that accepting their battle offer will probably be in our favor." 

            "Lots of prize money?" Lyle was obsessed with earning money.

            "He wasn't sure if we'd accept just double the normal amount so he tripled it." Lyle's jaw dropped, but Gin was more interested in statistics than the overwhelming amount of prize money.

            "But what about their capabilities?"

            "From the data they'd best be classified as… pushovers. Judging from the stats I looked up on them… If they had any less than half a million dollars to spend on their zoids, they'd still be in class C." 

            "Ah, come on! Nobody relies on money that heavily!"

            "They do, but that's just the data. We don't know how well they'll fight against us."

            "What zoids do they have?"

            "Three Iron Kongs."

            "Hm, really?" Lyle glanced up at the screen and then to the ceiling. "I say we accept, but let's confront someone who knows a lot about Iron Kongs before we actually fight."

            "Who were you thinking of?" She had an idea, but she wanted to make sure.

            "Diamonds, of course. We haven't talked to Ryan since his contract ran out."

            "Yeah, it'd be nice to see him again…" Rayne quickly entered the words "We accept" into the console and sent them to the Champ Team base before she stood and, with Lyle and Gin, left the control room. Rayne went straight to her room to change into something more casual while Gin went to the living room with her laptop in hand, ready to look up anything she could about Iron Kongs and the Champ Team. Lyle, being unusually helpful, went into the kitchen and picked up the phone, dialing Ryan's number. The phone rang a couple of times before the answering machine clicked on. Lyle sighed as the message played through and, when it was finished, left a message.

            "Hey Ryan. It's Lyle. I guess you got a contract. Listen, we've got a battle we're going to go into but we need some… uh… instructions. We're taking on three Iron Kongs. Think you could give us a few pointers? Yeah, well call us back. Later, Diamonds." He hung up and sighed. Ryan likely was off battling. He went into the living room with Gin and turned on the TV, tuning in to see if there were any battles going on. There were a ton, mostly low class ones, but one caught his eye. He listened carefully to what the announcer was saying. 

            "The Iron Kong is proceeding to the opposite end of the battle. It hasn't shot at any of the opposing zoids yet. We're not exactly sure what this tactic is. It has now reached its intended destination. And it had finally started firing. We've just received some data on the Iron Kong. It's piloted by the mercenary named Ryan Bennings. And what amazing skill! He's already taken down two of the opposing zoids by himself! By why did he go to the opposite end of the battle field, I wonder?" 

            "Same old Ryan. He went to the other side to get the other team's attention off of him. While his team mates charged in, he went around and fired from the back." He leaned back and watched as Ryan's Iron Kong took out the last of the opposing forces. Then he stood to leave, glancing over to Gin who stared at her laptop screen intently. Lyle shrugged and walked into the kitchen, grabbing an apple out of the basket on the table. He looked at it for a moment before biting in. 'I wonder how Rayne is? She just went straight to her room… Shouldn't she have come out by now? Don't bother her, Lyle. If she wants to be alone, she wants to be alone. Let her have her space…' He tore off another chunk of apple before seating himself at the table. 'What is it between Sai and Rayne that tore them apart? Damn it, I don't think I'll ever figure them out…'

            The clock ticked down as the beginning of the battle between the Ace and Champ teams approached. The Gustav rolled onto the battlefield with Rayne's Storm Sworder and Lyle's Gunsniper on the back. Gin and her Hell Cat walked along beside it. The Champ Team arrived in their usual fashion; Whale King touching down with zoids ready to unload the instant the transporter touched soil. The Ace Team was mild in comparison, the pilots jumping into the zoids and preparing themselves for combat with little communication. When all six zoids stood facing each other on the small battlefield, Harry Champ addressed the opposing team.

            "I'm Harry Champ! I'm a man destined to be king!"

            "Listen, we didn't come here to hear you give speeches. As soon as the judge gets here you can wear your lips off giving orders to your partners but for now, keep quiet." Lyle wasn't in the mood for games, needless to say. Harry was flustered.

            "W-well… I-"

            "Oh just shut up already"

            "It feels good to see someone put Harry in his place," Leena mused, leaning against the table and smiling at the TV screen in the After Battle Eatery. Brad, Doc, and Jaime nodded their consent. "Hey, where's Bit? Shouldn't he be here by now?"

            "Yo!" They all turned to see Bit striding over to them grinning. 

            "For a second we thought you were going to miss the battle."

            "I wouldn't miss this for the world! Okay, maybe for the world but- Anyway, it was me who dragged you all over here. Did you really think I wouldn't show?"

            "We knew you'd show. We just didn't know why you wanted us to come here, until we arrived anyway. Why'd you take such an interest in this team?"

            "They let me in on a little secret about on of their zoids, so I want to see if it's true."

            "What little secret?"

            "Shh, not now. It's starting."

            The judge landed and gave his own little speech while everyone waited impatiently. As soon as the words "Ready? Fight!" were uttered, the teams were at each others throats. Gin went for Sebastian while Rayne went at Benjamin, leaving Lyle to deal with Harry. And Lyle was perfectly content to go after the leader. He was in the spotlight for once, and he wasn't going to screw up.

            He let loose with a flurry of random shots, used to trap the lead Iron Kong in its place, and then charged, guns blazing. A couple more shots and the Iron Kong was nearly incapacitated. Harry was working furiously to try and get his zoid to get out of Lyle's line of fire.

            "What?! I can't go down so soon! Not with my Leena watching!" 

            Back at the Eatery, the Blitz Team was having a hard time keeping Leena from putting her foot through the TV.

            "_Your Leena?! Since when have I been __your Leena, huh?!"_

            Harry's Iron Kong was down for the count soon after, and Rayne and Gin cleaned up the robots pretty quickly. It was a well fought battle, if not a little one sided. By the time the Ace Team had reached the Eatery for their victory dinner, the Blitz Team had already left. However, a waiter was still cleaning up the table where they had sat.

            "What happened here?" Rayne asked, walking over to the waiter.

            "The Blitz Team came and watched the battle that was on today. One of their pilots - Leena I think - got angry over something one of the team leader's said. She tried to tear the TV off of the wall."

            "What was it she got mad at, do you think?"

            "_Not with my Leena watching!" Lyle said in a mocking tone, sounding almost exactly like Harry. "Think that might've been it?" Rayne and Gin smiled before they started laughing._

            "P-probably!" they managed to gasp through sporadic bursts of laughter. 

And yet another (long) chapter completed. It took a while but I'm satisfied. Please review and include any comments/complaints/compliments/suggestions/etc. that you can think of. Hope you're enjoying my story!


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, here's chapter 8. Please read and review. I don't own Zoids, blah blah blah. Enjoy. 

Part 2

Chapter 8

            Just as Lyle went to take a large bite out of his cheeseburger, the door to the Eatery swung open and three people stepped in. Rayne cast only a fleeting glance in their direction but balked as she recognized those that had just entered. She swallowed, which was difficult, and took a few silent but deep breaths as she waited for their inevitable encounter. But the three weren't going to just walk over and talk. Instead they went up to the front and ordered, then seated themselves at the other end of the Eatery. After their food had come and been eaten they stood and walked over to the now nervous Ace Team.

            "Well, long time no see."

            "What do you want, Sai?" Kristie and Kelley stood behind him, grinned in their usual silent fashion. 

            "Oh, just to challenge you to a battle."

            "Send the details to our base and-"

            "How about I just tell you the details now?" Rayne didn't say a word in response. "Today in two hours outside your base. No rules. Got that?"

            "If it isn't a legitimate match, we're not participating."

            "Yes you are."

            "No, we're not."

            "Yes, you are." Sai began to chuckle. Something was definitely different about him now.

            "I said we're not! Get it through your thick skull! No, no way, no how, no!" He smirked as he stood up and turned to leave.

            "Why don't you ask how your team feels about it?" He left then, Kristie and Kelley trailing him like puppy dogs.

            "What the hell'd he mean by that?!"

            "Rayne, we're behind you one hundred percent. We don't want to participate in an unsanctioned battle either. I don't know what's gotten into your brother but he sure as hell is sure of himself. I don't think we should accept. He's got to have something up his sleeve." Rayne visibly relaxed and looked over at Gin.

            "I agree. Lyle, what about you?"

            "I don't want to have to fight him again. We already know we can kick his ass so why bother fighting him again?" Both Rayne and Gin nodded in agreement. They paid their bill and left the eatery, but on the way back to their base a though struck them.

            "Uh, Rayne. If it's supposed to take place outside of our base in two hours, how are we going to avoid it? I mean, it's going to take an hour and forty five minutes to get over there and well over fifteen minutes to get the zoids loaded onto the Gustav. And even if we managed to do that someone would still have to pilot a zoid out of here. What if they took that as we accepted their challenge?"

            "Damn… Now I know why Sai was so sure of himself. He knew that no matter what we did he'd either fight us or steal our zoids. Bastard…"

            "Rayne, settle down. We'll deal with him and his team accordingly." The younger girl looked out the window at the desert landscape.

            'What does he have up his sleeve? I know he has something planned…'

            About an hour and a half later they reached their base.

            "We made good time, but not enough to get out of this mess."

            "It gives us more time to get prepared. I have to use Saix in this battle, Sworder didn't take any damage but I still feel uncomfortable in an aerial zoid. And besides, I know Saix can beat Sai's Terrace. I just have to get in close enough. I'm going to try it."

            "It didn't work the last time you tried that, if you remember." Gin added, looking over her own zoid just in case.

            "Yes, I remember. But it'll never work if I don't practice. It's nothing against Sworder," she glanced up at the huge Storm Sworder that stood before her, "and I really do think that he's an amazing zoid. I just want to see if I can win without an organoid system." It was a long moment before anyone spoke again. In fact, Lyle went inside long before Rayne even turned away from Saix and Sworder. Gin stayed and looked over her Hell Cat's combat data and then the Gunsniper's. She climbed down from the cockpit and walked over to the younger woman, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The younger woman glanced up at her, grinned, and then spun around, knocking Gin's hand off of her shoulder.

            "Rayne?"

            "I'm kind of excited. I get to face Sai without and organoid system, and I'm going to win. I don't care if the odds are against us. I'm going to beat Sai, whether he likes it or not. So, do you have a battle plan?"

            "Except we take out the Rev Raptors while you annihilate Sai and his Terrace? No."

            "Hm, well you'd better get to work, Madam Tactician."

            "Since when have I been the tactical expert on this team?!"

            "Since you joined, of course."  
            "What?! You're serious? All of your battles before I joined… You played them by ear? You didn't have any plans?!"

            "Exactly, but I suppose that's not such a big deal…"

            "Big deal?! I though you all were a true class A team! Now I find you're nothing but lucky idiots with some barely average zoids!"

            "Shh, they'll hear you!" Gin and Rayne both started chuckling, which evolved into sporadic fits of laughter. But it didn't last long. Lyle came into the hanger with a morose look on his face. He sighed and pointed out the hanger door.

            "They're on their way." Rayne looked down at her watch, shook it, and then sighed as well.

            "Either they're early, or my watch is dead…" Lyle glanced at the clock on the wall.

            "Your watch is dead." Rayne's shoulders slumped a little but she soon regained her composure and was climbing into Saix's cockpit. She glanced down at Gin and Lyle, still standing there.

            "Well are you going to get ready or not?" Both of the glanced up and nodded, each going to their respective zoid.

            In a matter of minutes all three of their zoids stood outside the base and waited for the arrival of the now infamous Whale King. It arrived shortly thereafter, but the Crimson Team wasn't yet prepared for battle. Sai's face popped up on the screen above Rayne's terminal.

            "So you decided to fight after all?"

            "Sai, you know better than anyone that the choice wasn't ours."

            "Oh, so you figured it out. Well, let's see how you do in battle-" He looked from side to side before continuing, "- without an organoid system." Rayne grimaced. She didn't remember mentioning anything about that to Sai, but her memory failed her. Maybe she had… It was possible. She rolled her eyes and disconnected the link, leaving Sai staring at a blank screen in the control room of the Whale King. He smirked lightly and then proceeded down to the docking bay, where Kristie and Kelley were almost done readying their Rev Raptors for combat. He waved lightly to them as he walked over to his Terrace and hopped in. He entered a couple of commands and then positioned his zoid for an easy take off. 

            A moment before Sai was supposed to take flight, a judge capsule fell from the sky, creating its own crater. When the dust settled and the view was clear, Rayne noticed the discoloration of the capsule. The dark judge. It opened and there he stood.

            "Crimson Team versus the Ace Team. Battle mode 0999. Ready?" Sai waited for his last word. "Fight!" He took off at the signal and circled high above the battle field while the Rev Raptors on his team jumped out of the Whale King and took the initiative against the opposing team. It took a moment for Gin, Lyle, and Rayne to realize that the battle had started. In fact they were very nearly pinned down by enemy fire before the thought of evading even came to their minds. But when it did, they acted quickly.

            "Lyle, move behind me." Gin said. He nodded as he realized what plan she was going to use. The two zoids proceeded down the battle field while Rayne attempted to keep the Rev Raptors' attention. It succeeded for a while, but Kelley noticed the two missing zoids and gave chase. "Now!"

            Lyle's Gunsniper jumped clear over the Hell Cat in front of it and continued running while Gin proceeded in a wide arc to meet her charging opponent. Gin fired a few shots before evading a few and returned fire shortly after. She made relatively quick work of her opponent and continued after Lyle. She didn't get very far.

            Sai noticed the plan they were attempting to carry out, and he knew that their chances for success were very high if they got to the other end of the battle field. He lowered his altitude a little and, when he was close enough to the Hell Cat, let loose with a flurry of shots which immobilized the zoid quickly. He returned back to his original altitude but kept an eye on Lyle, who was now unsure of what to do.

            'Carry out the plan… Carry out the plan… Carry out the damn plan!' She shouted at himself in his mind as he kept up a good pace. He knew Sai was on his tail and waiting for a time to strike. A sudden, quick bleeping from his terminal alerted him to the approaching Terrace that had, apparently, seen his opening. But Lyle wasn't going down that easily. He spun his Gunsniper around and, when Sai's Terrace was low and close enough, jumped into the air, coming down on top of the aerial zoid. Using the anchors that were normally used to steady his zoid when it was sniping, he latched onto the Terrace and leaned far to the right, attempting to flip over, taking Sai with him. Sai nodded his approval at the attempt, but noticed a flaw in his attack. Even the Gunsniper's anchors couldn't resist gravity. At least not forever.

            Sai flipped his zoid over completely, leaving the Gunsniper to hang on for dear life. He took a bunch of winding and sharp turns in an attempt to loosen the zoid's hold. A red light began flashing in Lyle's cockpit. If he didn't do something soon, he was going to fall off. He shook his head in defeat as yet another plan to regain control failed. He glanced around at what he could see of the battle field. He realized how amusing it had to be to see an upside down Terrace with a Gunsniper attached to its back. He grinned and glanced to where Rayne was fighting the Rev Raptor. She was unaware of Gin's defeat and had been using her ammo wisely, but she was running low. When Sai suddenly veered that way, Lyle saw a chance that could result in victory for the team.

            As Sai flew over the battle field, both Kristie and Rayne looked up at the two zoids. They were both speechless and for a moment neither moved. That's just what Lyle needed. When he was directly over the enemy Rev Raptor he let go with his anchors and dropped onto it. When the dust settled it was clear that both zoids' command systems were frozen, if not completely wrecked. 

            "Lyle! Lyle?! Answer me, damn it! Lyle!" No reply came from the downed zoid. Rayne feared the worst. "Sai!" Tears filled her eyes as she watched her brother's Terrace fly away. "Get back here! Sai!" She charged after him in her Lightning Saix. He looked back at her, noting her mental condition.

            'At best she'll be able to scratch my Terrace. In her state I doubt she can see straight.' He smirked and did a wide turn until he was charging directly at her. It was time for an old fashioned show down. 

            They were thirty meters away, twenty, ten, five, and then they had passed each other. The Lightning Saix stopped. It had incurred no damage from the assault. The Terrace kept flying. It hadn't taken a hit either. Sai pushed down on his controls, causing his Terrace to climb higher. Eventually, the stress of it became too much for the damaged frame. 

            Sparks began flying from the gash that Lyle's Gunsniper had left behind and a small explosion erupted from out of no where. Rayne glanced behind her in time to see the Terrace lose altitude fast and plummet from the sky, impacting the earth and sending a wave of force straight for his younger sister. The agile but lightweight zoid couldn't withstand it and toppled over onto its side. When the dust has almost cleared Rayne climbed out over the edge of her cockpit and fell onto the sand, coughing and sputtering for breath as dust and dirt swirled around her. She put her arm up to shield her eyes and wandered in the direction of Sai's fallen zoid. 

            Rayne approached the Terrace wearily but as soon as she saw the damage it had taken, she threw caution to the wind and jumped down into the crater the impact had created. She pushed, pulled, and kicked her way into the cockpit and, seeing Sai glaring up at her from his seat, sighed and relaxed.

            "Are you alright?" He stood up instantly and knocked her into the wall of the crater, pinning her with his elbow on her chest and his face up in hers.

            "This isn't over, Rayne." She averted her eyes and he got off of her. "Go get your friends. I'm leaving." He climbed out of the crater and started walking away from the battle field. The dark judge had already taken off, though that crater was still there, and Sai cast a quick over to where he had been and, reluctantly, announced the winner. But no one had been listening. 

            Rayne clambered out after him, pausing to brush the dust and sand off of her pants before jogging to catch up to her brother.

            "Sai-"

            "Get away from me!" He shouted, knocking her back a few steps. She didn't continue after him then. She stood there and watched him walk away. He was heading towards the sun and his tall frame was silhouetted against the bright ball of fire. He was heading to the nearest town, which happened to be over one hundred miles away, and the end of his journey would be illuminated by Zi's two moons. If he wasn't picked up by the Whale King. The Backdraft transporter had disappeared shortly after the battle began and had yet to return. Rayne glanced up at the sky before turning around completely and heading to where Gin was pulling Lyle out of his totaled Gunsniper. She sighed and ran the rest of the way, helping Gin move Lyle from the burning wreckage. When both he and Kristie were a safe distance away - Kelley had already been escorted to the Ace Team's base - Rayne sat down and put her face in her hands. All hell had broken loose at that battle, and it was unlikely that the Ace Team would be fighting for a while.

Okay, finally done with this chapter. Did I do a good job with the battle? Please review! Thanks! 


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry to take so long on this next chapter. School and soccer just got out of hand. Plus this chapter is pretty long. Please enjoy and feel free to review. I don't own Zoids, yadda yadda yadda… Enjoy. Oh, and we've now reached part 3.

Part 3

Chapter 9

"We've already fought them, though." Rayne complained, reading over the conditions of the battle with the Omega Team. Lyle had agreed to it before either Gin or Rayne had woken up.

            "More money for us, right? Besides, we need the cash to fix up Saix."

            "We also need a break from battling! Sai practically annihilated us! I don't feel comfortable going into battle again so soon!"

            "Come on, Rayne. The Omega Team is a complete pushover! We need the money. Come on. Just one battle and then we can relax."

            "Alright…" Rayne complied slowly. Gin walked in, having heard most of the argument. Behind her were Kristie and Kelley, both recovering quickly from the rough battle. The three of them walked over to Lyle and Rayne, though no one said anything until Rayne walked out. Gin looked over at Lyle.

            "She's really worked up about losing…"

            "I guess she never forgave Sai for abandoning her way back when…" Lyle replied. He was shaking his head slowly. He knew there was more to it than that, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He turned to Kristie and Kelley. "Do you guys know anything that might make them hate each other?" They both said the same thing and at the same time while Gin and Lyle looked on, slightly bewildered.

            "Sai isn't the kind of person that you would expect to be a caring brother. He's the opposite. He never felt much for his parents or sister, he said. But he also said he remembered that for a while, before the attack on his hometown, Rayne really looked up to him. He was at the age when he was learning to pilot a zoid. He said she would go outside and watch him practice. But one time, only about a week and a half before the accident, he was in his Terrace. He was trying a diving maneuver, the one you saw in the last battle. It caused a major draft of air to head straight for the ground. We're talking hurricane force winds here. Anyway, the winds went straight for Rayne. She was literally blown away. She was alright, but later that night his parents scolded him for his reckless piloting. After that he hated it when Rayne came to watch him practice. It meant that he couldn't try anything fun. He thought that that meant he wasn't going to ever get any better. So, when the attack happened, he saw his opening and took it."

            "So Rayne feels betrayed and Sai resents her because of an accident that he caused? Seems kind of wrong to me…" Lyle continued to shake his head, putting his hand to his forehead and sighing audibly.

            "Sai's hatred is unfounded and so it is weak. He's not as bad as he was, say, two weeks ago. Back then he wouldn't stop talking about how much he wanted to get Rayne. Now it's just an unmentioned detail. It's not so much that he wants revenge now. It's more that he's started taking orders from the guys above. Needless to say he's not used to taking orders. He's used to giving them. It's been seriously trying his patience and it shows. Now I think he wants to relax and stop battling as much as Rayne does."

            "If given the opportunity, do you think Sai would quit the Backdraft and stop battling?" Gin had been silent up to this point.

            "It is a possibility, though it's not likely. Sai lives to battle."

            "I assumed as much."

            "Sai won't let his mixed emotions get in the way of carrying out his orders. Your team will have to fight him again. It may be soon, or perhaps later. We thank you for your hospitality but now we have to go."

            "Where are you headed?"

            "To find Sai. You have been very hospitable, but we have to try and talk him into leaving the Backdraft." Gin nodded lightly and Lyle have a look of surprise, worry, and, strangely enough, content on his face.

            Rayne stood up from her leaning position just outside the room. She sighed inaudibly and turned to leave. She took one step before the door to the room opened and Kristie and Kelley stepped outside. They looked from side to side and, after spotting her, stopped.

            "Rayne? Are you alright?" They asked together, their concern apparent.

            "I'm fine… Tell my brother, when you find him, that… That I need to speak with him. That's all… Please…"

            "Of course." They said, glad that that was all she had asked of them. They turned and left quickly, taking their newly repaired zoids from the Ace Team's hanger. 

            About six hours later the Ace Team was just reaching the battlefield. Lyle and Gin climbed out of the Gustav's cockpit and climbed into the cockpits of their zoids while Rayne flew overhead in Sworder. She went from one end of the battlefield to the other, surveying the landscape and the enemies. She spotted them about five hundred yards from the northeastern corner of the field. She noticed there was something different. They had a different zoid. 

            A Saber Fang, D-Bison, and an Iron Kong were strategically positioned about one hundred yards away from each other. In her mind Rayne went over the details for the battle plan she was creating. They couldn't take them out with a single, quick flurry of shots. If they attempted that they'd hit only one zoid, possibly. They'd have to get close and take aim. But because their D-Bison had a long range weapon, that could become difficult. She calculated the possibilities of a successful air strike and came up with an eight out of ten chance of failure. They had certainly though ahead for this battle. Silently she praised their tactician for a job well done.

            The judge arrived shortly thereafter, but before he could announce the beginning of the battle, the Iron Kong fired a few shots at Rayne and Sworder, which they easily dodged. She opened a communications link which the other pilot quickly completed.

            "What do you think you're doing?! The battle hasn't begun!" She shouted angrily. She couldn't see the other pilot, he was sitting too far back in the cockpit, but she recognized his irritating chuckle. "Is that you-?"

            "Yes. It's me." The pilot leaned forward.

            "Ryan?! You… joined the Omega Team…"

            "The price was right… And I wanted to see your new Zoid in action."

            "Hm… Fine. But be warned, I'm not going easy on you." She closed the communications link and flew back over to her side of the field. She didn't know why she was so short tempered with Ryan. Maybe the whole ordeal with Sai was taking its toll.

            "Ready? Fight!" Rayne had missed, or ignored, the rest of what the judge said. She was tired, and sick of battling. She was going to end this quick.

            "Guys, let's finish this. I-"

            "No need to say anymore. Let's dispatch these amateurs and go grab some lunch."

            "Lyle…"

            "I have to agree. All of this constant battling is getting monotonous. And a bite to eat doesn't sound bad at all."

            "Gin… Alright. Let's finish this."

            All three zoids took off at top speed. Rayne was fastest, then Lyle, and finally Gin but not much distance separated them. The Omega Team began more conservatively. It wouldn't matter, in the end.

            Lyle sent sporadic bursts of fire ahead, which warned the Omega Team about the oncoming onslaught. Rayne slowed down, climbing higher into the air. She had something planned that would blow them away, literally.

            Gin raced ahead of Lyle as he reloaded and directly charged the Saber Fang. She took it down with one strike and dodged the D-Bison's returning fire. Lyle finally caught up and jumped over Gin and landed on the D-Bison and, using his anchors, torn away at the zoids armor.

            With his teammates command systems frozen, Ryan was starting to feel the pressure. He fired at Gin and Lyle who backed off a little.

            "What, scared of me?" He laughed. Lyle glared at his image on the screen.

            "Yeah, right… We thought we'd leave some action for Rayne."

            "Speaking of Rayne, where is she?"

            "Look down," Ryan did, but apprehensively. "Now look up." Rayne took that as her cue and began her dive, the same one Sai had used against her. Her entire Zoid shook with the force of free falling from so far up. Ryan was shocked when he saw Sworder plummet into view from behind a dark cloud. Even before he was hit by the massive winds, he knew it was over. 

            Sworder, moments before striking the ground, opened its massive wings and slowed itself down. In effect, the air beneath Sworder's wings was forced downward, creating powerful winds that were directed straight downward. Once they reached the ground the spread out, losing momentum as they went. Though she centered her attack about thirty meters away, Ryan's zoid was knocked backward. Command system frozen. Lyle and Gin, who had backed up more during Rayne's dive, received only a pleasant breeze from the attack, which they savored as they opened the canopies of their zoids and grinned happily. Victory was theirs.

            "The battle is over. The battle is over. The winner is… The Ace Team!" Gin laughed softly as Lyle jumped up and down.

            "What a way for us to come back after that last battle with Sai!" He laughed out loud, his hands on his hips. "We've still got it!" Rayne smiled and laughed half-heartedly. For a moment it was like old times, back before the ordeal with Sai. She shook her head and smiled a genuine smile. 

            "Alright guys… Let's go grab lunch."

            After talking shortly with Ryan and sharing a few laughs about old times, the Ace Team arrived at the After Battle Eatery. They opened the door and walked over to their familiar table. Gin and Lyle pulled ahead of Rayne, who lagged a little as she scanned the Eatery. 

            'What am I looking for?' She asked herself, shaking her head slowly. 'Was I expecting Sai to be here? Why do I do this to myself? I act like I hate him and then I worry when I can't find him… I'm pitiful.' She stopped for a moment, collecting herself. She glanced around one more and then went to take another step.

            "Rayne." She spun around, bewildered to have heard her name called. "Looking for me?"

            "… … … Sai?" There sat her brother, cocky as ever. He grinned up at her from his seat. Kelley and Kristie were next to him, smiling lightly. Sai glanced to them.

            "They said you wanted to talk to me." Rayne nodded.

            "Yeah."

            "We need to speak with Lyle and Gin." The two girls said, standing up and walking away.

            "Have a seat, Rayne." Rayne complied, seating herself across from her brother. She was somewhat nervous, but not too much. After all, she needed to talk to him. She needed to figure things out.

            "Sai… Why the hell do you hate me?!" He chuckled lightly at her opening remark.

            "I had a feeling you'd ask that."

            "Then answer it!"

            "Look, my hatred has always been unfounded and unfair. I had no right to be mad at you, or mom, or dad. But the point is I was. I can't change any of that now… And I'm sorry."  
            "Sai…"

            "You know… I haven't those last two words in a long time…" He looked up at the ceiling for a short while and then closed his eyes. He pulled his elbows up to the top of the booth and tilted his head back.

            "Sai. You're right. You didn't have any reason to be angry for so long. But I dismissed it as arrogance a long time ago. I don't care what you decide to do, it's your life. But I want to know that you won't attack me or my team again. I don't want to have to fight you."

            "Alright. I promise I won't." Rayne stood and looked down at Sai, who had opened his eyes now and was looking at her.

            "And remember… Backdraft or not you're still my brother. I wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt you."

            "And I guess that's why you've been holding back while fighting?"

            "How'd you know I was-?"

            "Rayne… Mom and Dad were great pilots. I figured we both inherited at least some of their skill. Look, I've got to go. I'll catch up with you later…"

            "Alright, Sai." Sai stood as Rayne backed away a little, allowing him room to maneuver. When Kelley and Kristie noticed he was ready to leave they left Gin and Lyle and followed. The Crimson Team walked out the door together, and Rayne was left feeling a lot better.

Is the rivalry between Sai and Rayne really over? What about the Backdraft? And what's the next battle the Ace Team's going to have to undergo? All will be revealed next chapter (let's just hope I don't get caught up in school again… I was _dying to get back to writing!). Please review!_


	10. Chapter 10

This should be a fairly short chapter because it's mostly dialogue. However this chapter greatly effects the direction the story heads in. Please review and enjoy.

Part 3

Chapter 10

            "Rayne, come sit down." Gin pleaded as she reached out to touch the younger woman's arm. Rayne turned around and faced her, nodding lightly. A slight smile had crept up on her. She seated herself next to Lyle and across from Gin. She waited until they had all ordered something to eat before saying anything.

            "What did Kelley and Kristie need to talk to you about?" She asked innocently, glancing to each of her companions in turn.

            "They really just wanted to give you and your brother a chance to talk," Lyle mentioned, looking warily at the ceiling and then back at Rayne. "But they did mention the Royal Cup Tournament coming up soon. Apparently the Crimson Team is going to enter."

            "Really?" Rayne looked startled, though it was barely noticeable through her still lingering grin.

            "Yes. In fact, they were heading off to enter after you and Sai finished speaking with one another." Gin had a way of speaking loudly enough to hear, but softly enough to make you pay attention. It brought a sort of emphasis to her words and the meaning sank in deep. Rayne thought she caught a hint of something in her tone, perhaps excitement, but she couldn't be sure. She leaned in closer to find out. "The tournament is open to all Class A teams…"

            Now she was sure she'd heard excitement in her tone. Rayne's grin grew until she felt like giggling, then laughing. Gin and Lyle looked at her as if she was odd, but she regained her composure quickly enough. "You want to enter the tournament, don't you?"

            "Well, yes. I think it would be more of a challenge than the constant battles we've been putting ourselves through lately. It was also be a good chance to get an estimate on the skills of the prestigious Class S. And besides, don't you want to get to Class S and face Bit? You know you do." Rayne blushed a little. It was exactly what she had been thinking about.

            "I would enjoy that, I guess. But what about you Lyle? Do you want to enter?"

            "I think it'd be awesome. We've already fought, and beaten, nearly all of the teams in the tournament. It'd be pretty easy to come off with the win. Not to mention the glory, and isn't there some prize money involved?" He started chuckling, which received a reaction from both Gin and Rayne. In a moment they had calmed down again. Their food came a moment later and their conversation was stalled while they ate.

            "Mmph… Good food," Lyle muttered between large bites of hamburger.

            "Yes. This is pretty good." Gin brought a forkful of salad up to her lips and nibbled lightly. Rayne popped a french fry into her mouth and grinned as she swallowed it whole.

            "I can't get enough!" Everything was lighthearted during their meal and when the food was cleared away, conversation turned to a more serious note.

            "What did Sai want to say?" Lyle asked.

            "You all weren't listening?" They shook their heads no. "Oh, well he apologized. I guess he let his anger pass, or whatever. I don't really understand it myself, but everything's alright now."

            "So he finally got over whatever was bothering him. Just in time, too. Rumor is the ZBC is cracking down on known Backdraft members and even some ex-members. Kelley said she thought he left, though she said she wasn't sure."

            "Sai didn't mention anything about leaving… But I suppose it might be possible. I'm not sure. We'll have to ask the next time we see him." She took of a sip of her soda, which hadn't been cleared away just yet. After a few moments of silence, Gin decided to change the subject. 

            "Now, about the Royal Cup… We may need to make some checkups on our zoids. Also, some upgrades might be in order. I can still get parts from the dealership I used to work at, though they might not be for free." 

            "That's all right. We've racked up a small fortune in prize money recently so buying parts shouldn't be a problem. We should probably head back soon to see what we need. So tell me when you all are ready, okay?" 

            "I'm ready when you are."

            "As am I," Gin, Lyle, and Rayne all paid for their meals separately and then filed into the Gustav. It was going to be a long night of checking, updating, and outfitting their zoids.

Sorry to end it so soon, but I needed a bit of a "relaxation chapter". Like I said earlier, school and such have been getting a bit out of hand lately and so I'm stuck writing in the small pockets of time I have between school, soccer, and homework. Please review if you can. I really appreciate reviews.


	11. Chapter 11:

Okay. Since I finished chapter 10 only moments before, and still have about thirty minutes before I have to jet off to soccer practice, I figured I'd start chapter 11. This is going to be another "relaxation chapter" but don't worry, future chapters get much more exciting. Please read and review!

Part 3

Chapter 11

            Rayne's fingers slid easily and confidently over the controls in Saix's cockpit. She'd done the upgrades at least a hundred times before. Her expression was stoic and impassive but there was something eating away at the back of her mind.

            'Did Sai leave the Backdraft or not? Damn it, if he didn't… He's going to get arrested…' She jammed down on a particular button harshly, too far lost in her own thoughts to notice the searing pain that abounded as a result. When she finally came back to her senses, no less than a full minute later, she muttered some harsh words under her breath and shook her hand vigorously. She paused and looked down at the screen for a moment, checking on the status of the upgrades. She was about ninety percent completed, but she still had Sworder to do, and that would take even longer. She sighed loudly and went back to pressing buttons, pulling up information on her beloved zoid. Gin walked in a few minutes later, carrying two cups of lukewarm tea.

            "Rayne! You said you'd be coming in soon! Come on, take a break!" She shouted up. Rayne glanced to the clock on the wall and then her own watch.

            "I really need to get this fixed…" she said, shaking her watch a little. "I'm coming soon, Gin!"

            "Don't worry… I brought your tea out. Come on down and have a chat with me! The upgrades will take care of themselves!" Rayne scrambled down the side of her zoid will skill gained from practice. She seated herself at Saix's feet while Gin stood.

            "What's up, Gin? Is something the matter?" She asked. All of the time she'd spent working on Saix instead of sleeping was showing in her tired expression and sunken eyes.

            "Rayne, look at you! You look exhausted! Take a break before starting on Sworder." 

            "Something just occurred to me, Gin…" She looked directly up at the older woman, staring her in the eyes. "If Sworder has an organoid system, doesn't that mean he'll learn from his past battles?"

            "Yes, it does and-" She paused and a slight grin spread over her features. She was going to change the subject, though she wanted to know why the younger woman had asked her question. "How long have you been calling Sworder a 'he'? I think that's a sign of a bond starting!"

            "Naturally. Sworder is an amazing zoid. I can hardly believe I was frightened to pilot him in the first place."

            "It's understandable to be frightened though. Especially in the heat of battle."

            "I know, but fear is something I hadn't known for a while. Oh well…" she drained the last few drops of her tea. "I'd best be getting back to the upgrades."

            "Come on; take a longer break than that!"

            "I promise that as soon as I'm done I'll take a nice, long, extended nap and when I wake up, we'll finish this conversation."

            "Alright. If there's no talking you out of it-"

            "There isn't…"

            "Alright then. I'll see you sooner or later. Here, let me take your mug back in." Rayne handed over the mug and climbed back into the cockpit. Due to her absence, the screen had gone blank, though the upgrades were still completing themselves. She pressed a few buttons and the screen popped back on, revealing a bright green "completed" screen. She sighed and closed the terminal display, jumping back down to the ground and rushing inside. She was going to take that nap… now.

            The next day saw Lyle and Gin upgrading their zoids with Rayne resting inside. The day after that was when Rayne completed Sworder's upgrades, though it took less time because of the organoid system. It wasn't until the day after that when they all went out together to purchase some good weaponry, armor, and ammo. Rayne was looking through a window at one particularly good gun and she was considering purchasing it, though the price was a little steep. Lyle came up on her from behind, leaned forward and whistled in her ear.

            "Hey! Stop that, Lyle! You made me jump eighty feet!" Lyle grinned and then swapped to a more serious expression.

            "Eighty feet?"

            "Not literally…" She sighed, pushing him lightly out of her way as she walked inside the store to purchase the gun. She ended up purchasing it and a few other zoid components. As she loaded them into the back of the Gustav she looked around for Gin. Finding only Lyle she posed a simple question.

            "Where's Gin?"

            "I don't know. I haven't seen her since we arrived, or shortly after. Now that I think about it, I saw her last near that ZBC office at the entrance to the town."

            "ZBC office? Hm… Let's head back there, alright?"

            "Sure. I need to consult Gin about some parts anyway…" 

            It was only about fifteen minutes before they found themselves outside of the ZBC office, but Gin was no where in sight.

            "Where could she have gotten to?" Rayne pondered, turning around to face the other side of the street.

            "Rayne, Lyle! W-What are you guys doing here? Weren't you looking at Zoid parts?" Rayne and Lyle turned to face Gin, who stood just outside the office with a large stack of papers in her hands. 

            "We were, but you ran off on us! What's with the papers?"

            "Registration! For the Royal Cup!" She said hastily.

            "Gin, we already took care of all of that, remember?"

            "Oh, yeah well… You know!"

            "No, we don't." Lyle said, raising an eyebrow. "Something you want to tell us?" Gin didn't like being caught off guard. In fact, she hated it. She was always on top of things and when someone caught her in a slip up, she always felt defeated.

            "I have a bad memory, alright? I forgot we took care of all of this!"

            "Gin, you rarely forget anything. Just tell us what's up and we'll back off." Just then, a young ZBC officer strode out of the office. He looked over to the quarreling team.

            "Gin, we need those files back by tomorrow afternoon."

            "Yes sir."

            "Sir?" Rayne blinked a few times and Lyle just gawked. "Sir?!" They both repeated at the same time. Gin realized that she's made a big mistake. The officer looked at all three of them and then shrugged, walking away.

            "Um… I can… explain…"

            "Gin?! You're a member of the ZBC?!"

            "Um, yes." 

            "Does that mean you turned Rayne's brother in?" Lyle asked, dazed. Rayne was practically fuming, though fearing the worst.

            "Of course not. In fact, I managed to get him off the hook. I did some research. That attack on your all's town was a horribly misdirected ZBC assault on a Backdraft stronghold. The people at HQ sent them east instead of west and realized it too late to stop the carnage. Your brother must have found out it was the ZBC, and so joined the Backdraft. The guys up top understood and let him off." 

            "That's good…" Rayne said softly, letting out a quick sigh. "Gin, why didn't you tell us?"

            "I didn't think about it all that much, really. In fact, during all those battles, work was the farthest thing from my mind."

            "Alright… Whatever… I just don't want to bother with it right now. I'll be back at the base if you need me…"

            "Have you gotten everything you need?"

            "And more." That was the end of that conversation, and before long the Ace Team was back at their base.

            Inside the base, Rayne sat at the computer terminal, working away at strategies against the teams they knew they would be facing. She had just finished a plan to beat the Champ Team when Gin walked in, fresh out of the shower.

            "Still working? You've been at it for hours." She said, looking up at the simulation running on the screen.

            "I know, but it beats lying around bored. Besides, we can't just charge in blind. And when I'm done with this, I get to load that new gun onto Saix. I might practice a little with both of my zoids after that…"

            "You really are a workaholic. Take another break! One nap three days ago isn't going to help you much now."

            "I know, but the tournament is in four days! I'll be ready in two, so I can relax on those last two."

            "Alright… Whatever you say…" Gin started to leave, but Rayne stopped her.

            "Oh, and Gin-"

            "Hm?"

            "No hard feelings or anything, right?"

            "Right." They both smiled and went their separate ways. Rayne finished the last of the tactics - the Omega Team - and went out to start installing the gun onto Saix. Lyle was already in the hanger working on his Gunsniper.

            "There, almost done now." He muttered as the new armor he was installing clicked into place. "All I have to do is run a few tests and then - bingo! - I am done!" He jumped down from his zoid's back and jogged over to Rayne. "You're going to do more to your zoids? Man, you really need to learn to relax a little."

            "Sorry, Lyle, but not everyone can be laid-back every second of every day like you."

            "I'm hurt, Rayne! I can be very tense!" He went off into the base, waving over his shoulder, and Rayne proceeded over to Saix. She moved the lightning-fast zoid over under the equipment she needed and loaded the gun onto the back, where she jumped up and started bolting it in. She finished in near-record time, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and sighed in relief. 

            "Tests and practicing is all that's left. I'll do those tomorrow…"

            It was the next afternoon and Rayne was sitting inside Saix's cockpit, eyeing all of the controls and making sure everything was aligned.

            "Okay, everything's set on this end. Gin, is the program ready?"

            "Sure is. Now, a bunch of paper and plastic targets will pop up. They're shaped like Zoids, and hard to miss. Hit the red area and the target will fall, allowing you to move onto the next. Hit either yellow or green and the target will stay up. Hitting yellow twice will cause it to fall. Hitting green four times will do the same. Are you ready?"

            "Yes. Let's do this." A loud horn sounded and the first of thirty targets rose up. She downed it with a single shot. The next was the same, as was the third and forth. By the time the practice was over, Rayne had downed twenty-four of them by hitting the red mark and she only hit the green area twice. Overall it was an amazing show of marksmanship. She did the same practice routine with Sworder and got nearly the same score, only slightly worse since she couldn't stay in the same spot in an airborne zoid.

            "Now for the agility test. We can only run this with Saix, alright? Now, just run through the course, avoiding the obstacles and jumping over the hurdles, in less than two minutes and you pass. Ready? Go!" Rayne cleared it in a minute and twenty seconds. Gin rushed out to greet her when she jumped out of her cockpit. "Amazing! Simply amazing! You truly are the Ace of Spades! Now, come inside and celebrate! You get to relax!"

            "Finally…" Rayne muttered as she allowed herself to be lead inside and sat down at the table for a mug of coffee. "I think I'll take a nice, long, resting nap when I'm done with this." She set it down on the table and rested her head on her hand. Well, she had that nap before she finished the coffee.

Okay, now I know it took me forever to get this chapter finished… I started to get bored with writing it since I hadn't seen the series in a few months at least. Since Cartoon Network brought it back to a time in which I can view it, I have found renewed interest in this fic. Alright, please review and another chapter in less time than this one took, promise!


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